Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, has promised to implement practical reforms that would improve the welfare and security of Nigerians if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Makinde pledged on Saturday, May 30, 2026, while delivering his acceptance speech after being affirmed as the consensus presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) at the Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
The governor lamented the worsening insecurity, inflation and hunger across the country, insisting that Nigeria urgently needs a new direction.
According to him, the current security structure has weakened the ability of state governments to effectively tackle insecurity.
“Today, even as I stand here, some innocent schoolchildren and citizens abducted by terrorists are still in captivity. As Governor of Oyo State, I carry the painful burden of being called Chief Security Officer, yet lacking constitutional control over the security agencies needed to fully confront these threats,” he said.
Makinde added that no governor should be saddled with responsibility without the constitutional authority to address security challenges.
He promised that, if elected president, his administration would reform Nigeria’s security architecture and prioritise decentralisation to strengthen internal security across the states.
“As President of Nigeria, I will work to reform our national security architecture so that states are no longer left helpless in moments of crisis. The decentralisation that we need for a more effective security will be prioritised,” he stated.
On the economy, the governor said Nigeria has the capacity to recover through honest leadership and practical reforms.
He promised to pursue fair and transparent petroleum pricing policies that would reflect actual production costs while protecting citizens from arbitrary increases.
“Nigerians must be protected from arbitrary pricing and not have to bear the cost of the government’s failure to secure our borders,” Makinde said.
He also vowed to reform the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), describing his vision of an institution that would become lean, efficient and commercially driven through institutional reforms and proper joint venture incorporation.
Makinde further pledged to restructure the ownership of Nigeria’s refineries in order to stop what he described as the continuous waste of national resources.
The governor equally promised to expand transportation support systems to reduce the burden of high transportation costs on workers, traders, students and families.
On agriculture, he said his administration would focus on accurate data collection to address gaps in food production, processing, agrologistics and storage as part of efforts to guarantee food security.
Makinde assured Nigerians that his presidential campaign would focus on competence, solutions and national development.
“Together, we can build a Nigeria where security is not a privilege, where opportunity is not reserved for a few, and where leadership finally serves the people,” he said.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the APM, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, described Makinde’s emergence as the beginning of a new chapter in Nigeria’s political history.
Dantalle said the country was ready for a new generation of leaders committed to human development, education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, technology and wealth creation.
He added that the party was committed to returning power to the people and building a government that would place citizens at the centre of decision-making.
In separate goodwill messages, the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Jatau, and the APM Lagos State governorship candidate, Hon. Laja Adeoye, expressed confidence in Makinde’s leadership capacity and urged party stakeholders to work for his victory in the 2027 elections.
In his welcome address, the Oyo State governorship candidate of the APM, Hon. ‘Bimbo Adekanmbi, thanked party leaders and delegates from the 36 states for their support, describing it as a demonstration of unity and collective vision.
Adekanmbi said the achievements recorded by the Makinde administration in Oyo State could be replicated at the national level.
The event was attended by a former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Oyo State Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal; former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Engr. Hamid Gbadamosi; Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde; Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; commissioners, lawmakers, local government chairmen, party leaders and delegates from across the country.
